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Prospect Watch: Chad Kuhl Dominates One of the Best Offenses in the League

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P2 Top 30

A look at how the current top 30 prospects did today.  Note that this list doesn’t include players currently in the majors. If a player is in the majors, he will be removed, everyone below him will be shifted up a spot, and a new player will be added to the bottom of the list. If a player is out for the season, he will be removed and everyone below him will move up a spot. Removing these guys doesn’t mean they have lost prospect status. It is just an attempt to get 30 active prospects on the list. Rankings are from the 2016 prospect guide, and links on each name go to their Pirates Prospects player pages.

We’re working on a solution for the PHP stat codes not working in the app.

1. Tyler Glasnow, RHP, Indianapolis -[insert_php]
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2. Austin Meadows, CF, Altoona – [insert_php]
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3. Josh Bell, 1B, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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4. Jameson Taillon, RHP, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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5. Alen Hanson, 2B, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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6. Harold Ramirez, OF, Altoona -[insert_php]
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7. Reese McGuire, C, Altoona -[insert_php]
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8. Elias Diaz, C, Pirates – Disabled List.

9. Nick Kingham, RHP, Indianapolis – Disabled List

10. Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B, West Virginia -[insert_php]
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11. Kevin Newman, SS, Bradenton -[insert_php]
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12. Yeudy Garcia, RHP, Bradenton -[insert_php]
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13. Steven Brault, LHP, Indianapolis -[insert_php]
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 14. Stephen Tarpley, LHP, Bradenton – [insert_php]
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15.Cole Tucker, SS, West Virginia – [insert_php]
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16. Chad Kuhl, RHP, Indianapolis – [insert_php]
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17. Max Moroff, 2B, Indianapolis -[insert_php]
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18. Mitch Keller, RHP, West Virginia -[insert_php]
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19. Clay Holmes, RHP, Altoona – [insert_php]
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20. Willy Garcia, OF, Indianapolis -[insert_php]
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21. Brandon Waddell, LHP, Altoona – [insert_php]
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22. Tyler Eppler, RHP, Altoona -[insert_php]
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23. Barrett Barnes, OF, Altoona -[insert_php]
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24. Trevor Williams, RHP, Indianapolis – Disabled List

25. Gage Hinsz, RHP  – Extended Spring Training

26. Adrian Valerio, SS – Extended Spring Training

27. Adam Frazier, INF/OF, Indianapolis -[insert_php]
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28. Kevin Kramer, 2B, Bradenton -[insert_php]
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29. Jordan Luplow, OF/3B, Bradenton – [insert_php]
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30. JT Brubaker, RHP, West Virginia -[insert_php]
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P2 Top Performers

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Prospect-Watch-Indy

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INDIANAPOLIS – The last time I covered Indianapolis live was in 2012. During that series, Justin Wilson threw a combined no hitter with Jumbo Diaz and Doug Slaten. For a while tonight, I thought things were going to pick up where they left off several years ago, as Chad Kuhl was straight dealing.

Kuhl carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning tonight, giving up his first and only hit of the game on a hard hit double down the left field line. It was one of few hard hit balls off him on the evening, as Kuhl made easy work of the Columbus lineup. He ended up giving up just the one hit and one walk in seven shutout innings, striking out six. He was very efficient, needing just 88 pitches, and 60 strikes to get the job done, while getting an 11:2 GO/AO ratio.

The impressive thing tonight was that Kuhl was doing such a good job with his slider. He looked much more comfortable with the pitch than when I’ve seen him in the past, throwing it for first pitch strikes, and getting batters to chase in strikeout counts, including a strikeout on a slider outside to a right-handed batter on a 3-2 count to end the 5th inning. The pitch was obviously effective, getting a lot of swings and misses. There were times when he overpowered it, throwing it more like a hard cutter in the upper 80s and low 90s, rather than a mid-80s slider that complements his sinker well.

Kuhl also showed improved command and usage of the changeup tonight, using that pitch in hitters counts to try and get ahead, even at times against right-handers. He was absolutely dominant tonight, making easy work of a team that has the best OPS and the second most runs per game in the International League.

The Indians only managed two runs, but that was all they needed tonight. Adam Frazier led off the sixth inning with a double, and the bases eventually became loaded after a walk from Max Moroff and Josh Bell reaching on an error. Jason Rogers lined a soft single just over the first baseman’s head, bringing in the first run. The next run scored when Danny Ortiz grounded into a double play.

Frazier showed off some smart baseball tonight on multiple occasions. The double was a fine piece of hitting, seeing an outside pitch, and reaching out and poking it down the left field line. He hit the ball where it was pitched, and used his speed to get extra bases. He used his speed later in the game after starting the eighth inning with a walk. Max Moroff grounded out softly to third, and Frazier was running full speed on the play. He saw that third base wasn’t covered, and made no hesitation to go from first to third on a grounder that didn’t even reach the infield dirt.

Josh Bell’s latest version of his leg kick features more of a crouch, and a wide open stance. It looked a bit awkward tonight, leading to two strikeouts. Here is a photo of the pre-pitch crouch.

Josh Bell TW 51616

The open stance has always been there, but he’s crouching a lot more than this video from Spring Training:

Bell left side 2016

His swing is always something I track, so you can expect more updates throughout the week. – Tim Williams

Prospect-Watch-Altoona-Curve

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Altoona is off today.

Prospect-Watch-Bradenton

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Bradenton was up 4-1 late on Monday night and then both teams combined for seven runs over the last two innings, leaving the Marauders with a 7-5 victory. Jose Regalado got the start in place of Colten Brewer, who ended up coming in for the ninth to close out the victory. Regalado allowed one unearned run over five innings, just three days after he threw two shutout innings in relief. Tate Scioneaux followed him and threw two shutout innings, striking out five batters. Junior Lopez lost the lead in the eighth, though he was hurt by Connor Joe’s sixth error of the season, which allowed an unearned run that tied it. Lopez got the win after the Marauders put two runs up in the ninth. Brewer nailed down the save with a scoreless ninth.

Despite the costly error by Joe, he had a strong game at the plate, collecting three hits and scoring two runs. He picked up his sixth double of the season. Taylor Gushue had two hits, including his first triple. He scored once and had an RBI. Michael Suchy had a single, two walks and scored a run.

Elvis Escobar had the big hit in the game, a two-run homer in the ninth inning, his second of the season. He also drove in a run in the fifth inning on a ground out and drew a walk earlier in the game. Escobar picked up an outfielder assist as well.

Kevin Newman went 0-for-2 with two walks. He has reached base at least twice in nine of his last ten games.

Prospect-Watch-WV-Power

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West Virginia won 6-3 on Monday night, scoring all of their runs in the last three innings. Starter Logan Sendelbach has been having a strong season, but he didn’t have his best stuff in this game. In five innings, he allowed three runs on six hits and a walk. He only struck out one and he threw 81 pitches, 46 for strikes. He had a 7:5 GO/AO ratio. This was just the second time in eight starts that he allowed more than two runs.

Sendelbach was followed by Billy Roth, who went two scoreless innings despite four walks and a hit. Thanks to four runs in the seventh inning, he was able to accomplish a strange feat. Roth was drafted in 2013 and began his career with an 0-13 record. That’s not as bad as it sounds for a high school starter, because their outings are usually limited, which means you’re either getting a no decision or a loss in most cases. Roth broke that 3+ year losing streak in his last outing, then won his second game in a row tonight. Seth McGarry picked up the save with two scoreless frames.

On offense, Ke’Bryan Hayes hit his fourth homer of the season in the eighth inning. He also singled and scored a run earlier in the contest. That broke a recent 3-for-22 slide. Tito Polo had two singles, a walk and stole his tenth base of the season. Ryan Nagle had the big hit of the game, clearing the bases with a seventh inning double. It was his eighth double of the season. Mitchell Tolman had two singles, a walk, scored two runs and dropped down a sacrifice bunt. Christian Kelley drove in a run in the seventh and an insurance run in the ninth, picking up his third double of the season.

Cole Tucker went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts, giving him a .172 average, with no walks in his first seven games. The important thing to remember is that he wasn’t expected back until mid-June at the earliest, after having shoulder surgery last August. With that in mind, the expectations early on shouldn’t be too high.

John Dreker
John Dreker
John started working at Pirates Prospects in 2009, but his connection to the Pittsburgh Pirates started exactly 100 years earlier when Dots Miller debuted for the 1909 World Series champions. John was born in Kearny, NJ, two blocks from the house where Dots Miller grew up. From that hometown hero connection came a love of Pirates history, as well as the sport of baseball. When he didn't make it as a lefty pitcher with an 80+ MPH fastball and a slider that needed work, John turned to covering the game, eventually focusing in on the prospects side, where his interest was pushed by the big league team being below .500 for so long. John has covered the minors in some form since the 2002 season, and leads the draft and international coverage on Pirates Prospects. He writes daily on Pittsburgh Baseball History, when he's not covering the entire system daily throughout the entire year on Pirates Prospects.

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